reading and writing about why we work

April 2015

04/29/2015

In a previous blog post, I suggested that the solution between choosing to do what you love (DWYL) or choosing to love what you do (LWYD) was to choose neither extreme but rather a combination of both. For people who are not satisfied in their current role, a certain degree of acceptance is necessary until an opportunity arises to transition to another position. And yet, even for people who think that they have found the perfect job, the reality they will face, is that every job changes, and they change—overtime, what once was satisfying, will fail to create the same level of happiness. Ultimately, finding lasting happiness through our work may not be realistic. To this point, author Gordon Marino touches upon this when describing Martin Luther King’s definition of fulfillment. According to Marino, “Dr. King’s prescription that self-fulfillment requires being able to relate yourself to something higher than the self.” Throughout my earlier years in university, I did not have a clear sense of direction on what field I would study, because unfortunately, I enjoyed learning about every subject. However, now that I have a family, the necessity for financial stability has become my primary priority and as consequence, my field of study reflects this reality. Like Marino, I believe that my happiness will be found in using my talents “in a responsible, other-oriented way”; and for me, that means working to provide for my family.

Please see the video below for an interesting Ted talk on success.

Works Cited

Marino, Gordon. "A Life Beyond 'Do What You Love'." The New York Times. The New York Times Company, May 17, 2014. Web. 29 Apr. 2015.

04/24/2015

In their articles Marino and Tokumitsu brought to conversation an interesting idea; they claim that the "Do What You Love" (DWYL) ideology is harmful. Tokumitsu says,"Elevating certain types of professions to something worthy of love necessarily denigrates the labor of those who do unglamorous work that keeps society functioning." I partially agree with them. I believe that the DWYL mentality supports more passionate workers in educated fields instead of people just working for money. Although DWYL is sort of demeaning to labor that is done because it pays the bills, I think it fosters more creative workers in fields that need education and commitment. With DWYL in place, we may have better doctors because they love to cure people, compared to doctors working for a paycheck like someone who mows lawns or works construction. I agree that DWYL frowns on jobs that just pay the bill, but I think that people working at something they don't "love" work for the money which is enough. I think the benefits outweigh the cost; DWYL encourages passionate workers in jobs needing higher education and although demeaning, won't stop people from working jobs for the paycheck. DWYL is a luxury in the workplace some get and others don't. In the end people can always love their hobbies and do what they love after work.

Mira Costa makes it a point to acknowledge the importance of being able to analyze and synthesize multiple types of information from multiple perspectives. This is an important skill that will prove advantageous throughout life. When trying to make a decision, it is important to gather information from many different sources. Many people can approach a problem with significant bias, so gathering information from many different sources can help make an answer more clear. In the same way that it would be illogical to use only one of your five senses, gathering information from one source can cause a person to make hasty or incorrect assumptions. It is also strategically advantageous to analyze the a information for things that seem to support your existing opinion, and also things that seem to disagree with your existing knowledge. It is important to take information with "a grain of salt" and look at it from different angles so that a more complete idea can be formed. When I was researching the dangers of electromagnetic radiation, there was a lot of completely conflicting data. It became apparent that I could not simply accept other people conclusions on their own data. To find more complete answers about electromagnetic radiation I needed to analyze data multiple times and from many sources. This multiple source, multiple perspective style of analyzing can help people make more educated decisions with the most awareness possible; making it a worthwhile education goal for students.

04/22/2015

The quote I chose is "Your work is going to fill large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what youdo." from In the Name of Love by Miya Tokumitsu. I agree with this author because from my personal experience of my job at the nursing home because I love to help others but also when I am there I do not feel like if I am working. I can be there all night and know I will be getting a check after a long night. I do great at my job and have received recognitions because I do what I need to do very happy and things come out better. Time goes by really fast and also don't feel tired but also am in a very good mood. When I work in my second job as a waitress I feel tired, bored and feel time goes by very slowly. From my personal experience I feel connected to Tokumitsu's quote.

I really love this video of someone who loves their job and how amazing they feel. I really feel connected because I feel the same when I'm working. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WLIdz_Zl1zQ

If you were given the chance to have any career in the world, what would you choose? Would you need a specific talent for this career? Does your ideal career reflect a talent you already possess? Humans live in a world that revolves around money, leading each of us to spend a majority of their lifetime working to make money. In work, humans find ways to help shape and change society and its many factors. The average American spends about 8 hours of their day working resulting in 2,920 hours a year. Would you rather spend those days working in a career that you love or working in a career that gets you by financially? Gordon Marino speaks of his perspective on the impact our careers make on our daily lives in an article called, A Life Beyond Do What You Love. "..no — one cannot possibly will that letting one’s talents rust for the sake of pleasure should be a universal law of nature." Some people may find that their talents dont reflect their personal interests. If a boy grows up with scientists as parents who are often teaching him about chemistry, biology etc. he may be well educated on the subjects of science. Though he may be talented with scientific projects, he may aspire to be a baseball player. Does the boy follow his dream of being a baseball player, or does he become a scientist because it is a talent of his? I think that one should find a talent that relates to a passion of theirs. When a person loves their work , they will succeed farther by wanting to understand their work on a deep level.

Here's a video by Dan Ariely discussing his views on work. Enjoy!

Marino, Gordon. A Life Beyond 'Do What You Love.' May 17 2014. May 09 2015.

04/21/2015

A recent article I read got me thinking about "doing what you love" vs. "doing what provides for your family" The article is titled, A Life Beyond 'Do What You Love' by Gordon Marino. A specific quote that stood out was, "It might be argued that his idea of self-fulfillment was taking care of his family, but again, like so many other less than fortunate ones, ha hated his work but gritted his teeth and did it well." Marino was talking about his father who day by day went to a job that he did not "love" but he endured it for his family. This helped me see that not everyone in their lives will have a fulfilling career, however that is not necessarily a bad thing if you are successful in other things like providing for a family. I think nowadays society puts a lot of pressure on our culture to find the perfect job and make a great living from it. I feel that kind of pressure will leave us feeling short or not satisfied. We get so wrapped up in our professions that we ultimately let them define who we are. People should be okay with performing a job they can do well and letting go of the notion that everyone has to have a job they absolutely love. We should find happiness in any job that we have, and let other things like having a good family define who we are.

Works Cited:

Marino, Gordon. "A Life Beyond 'Do What You Love'." NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company. Web. 17 May. 2014.

Image Source: Clipart.com

Smith, Larry. "Why You Will Fail to Have a Great Career." Ted Talks. Web. 8

Stating that passion for their work makes people more happy, Miya Tokumitsu looks at what motivates some people to work. “It is the secret handshake of the privileged and a worldview that disguises its elitism as noble self-betterment. According to this way of thinking, labor is not something one does for compensation, but an act of self-love.”

Frequently, people work at something they do not like just to make money. Not everyone isdriven by money; I have a friend who works for love of her job. Motivated by her love of helping people resolve their problems through talking to them, she got a job 10 years ago at a small radio station. The radio program is an open forum where people call in to talk about their problems and issues, and she listens, talks them through the issues, and provides common sense counsel to the callers. Because she enjoys it so much, she continues in the same job and same position today but she hasn't received hardly any raises or increased compensation.

However, although my friend truly enjoys her job, it pays very poorly and she has a hard time paying the bills. Consequently, she struggles financially, but because she loves talking to the people and assisting them with their problems and issues and so she doesn't want to change jobs or look for something else. She loves what she does and it makes her very happy.

In “A life Beyond What You Love,” by Gordan Marino, he expresses the notion that doing what you love is not always the idea that comes first to mind. Because of my experiences in life, I agree with what Gordon Marino stated. Frequently, the things that we love to do are not always the best option. People have to support their families, and sometimes they have to do things they may not love to do.

Marino writes in his article “my father didn’t do what he loved. He labored at a job he detested so that he could send his children to college.” This reminded me of my brother-in-law because he has worked for 30 years as a taxi-driver so he could put his daughters (my nieces) through school.

Motivated by the desire that his daughters would have a better life, he works long hours at something he doesn’t love so he can help them. Because of his hard work, one of his daughters graduated with a degree in law and the other is studying photography. By his selfless work at a job he has never liked, my brother in law is enabling his girls to have a better life.

"What are you majoring in?" This question means so much to me and I used to think I had it all figured out. After taking English 100 and Communications 207 this semester I have realized why answering that question was so easy. I was pleasing everyone else by choosing a major that was well rounded and business related to please my father. After living and caring for foster kids as a family for ten years, this year was the first that I truly got involved in the cases we were dealing with. Before I would try not to get too close or attached to the kids coming in and out of our home but as I have gotten older I have been interested with the foster system. It took a certain situation that made me realize I wanted to help the children in foster care.

I am not allowed to give out any information about the situation with the children we have now but my family and I feel very concerned with the way the system is and their focus seems to be money instead of the well being of the children. After all these concerns and problems the parents still have, due to the government cutting spending we are ordered to give the kids back no matter what. In their words they "cant find a reason to not give the children back to their parents" due to many problems and concerns my family and I don't feel this will benefit anyone. For one: the children will not be in a safe environment, and two: if the parents mess up again the children will just end up back in the system, this will not cut back on spending if the kids are put right back into a system; it will only hurt them more and the county will once again find another foster family to take care of them or a group home until they are adopted out.

After all this experience and passion to change the system my answer has changed from fashion buying to becoming a social worker, and not just any social worker I want to be the one that comes up with a more efficient and healthy way to foster children. The system now isn't helping the parents learn to become responsible and its not giving the children a stable and loving upbringing.

My dream is not only to become a social worker but I want to change the system for the better and help our future, this kids are our future and if we raise them in a corrupt system how can we expect them to not continue the vicious cycle. With my ten years with the foster system and an internship with a social worker in our agency, I will be able to achieve my goals. Even if I don't change the whole system but change the lives of many foster children and families, I will feel successful.

"Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work."-Miya Tokumitsu This quote didn't mean much to me until I found a job I truly love, knowing that I get to change the lives of many families and kids makes me feel like the most successful person. Before I was choosing a major I knew I wouldn't be able to handle, but with this career I can feel good about what I do and be the voice of the children.

While reading an article called “A Life Beyond ‘Do What You Love’” by Gordon Marino, I was waiting and waiting for a sentence to jump out at me. I read over Marino’s article quite a few times, and each time I kept stopping at the last two sentences. “Our desires should not be the ultimate arbiters of vocation. Sometimes we should do what we hate, or what most needs doing, and do it as best we can.” Because the sentences struck me, I felt like I could relate to Marino's words. Gordon Marino is a philosophy professor, and in this article he writes about the pleasures and pains of work. He goes on to write about how the pains of life and work can bring a person purpose. The last few sentences from Marino’s article are challenging, but the sentences parallel with my world. Since the beginning of Spring 2015 semester, I have not had a clear view of what I am doing with my life. As of right now, I am working full time and going to school full time; I am finishing up my General Education courses. When the semester began I had been questioning what my purpose is; now it is the end of the semester, and I still do not know what my purpose is. I am not necessarily doing anything I enjoy doing, or anything that I am super passionate about. At times work and school can be painful for me, but I like to believe the pains I have are sacrifices I am making for my future. Because there is no big picture laid out for me, sometimes life can be rather frustrating. As of now, I am okay with not knowing what my future holds; I am just trying to learn and figure out life as I go. Since I am only working and going to school, sometimes I feel like I am only reaching the bare minimum for my life. I do not want to settle for the minimum; I want to reach my maximum in work, school, and in life in general. Because I am doing life the best I know how to right now, I am hoping the pains I feel will only bring my future more gains.